Springfield Falcons coach getting rookies ready for season

Never mind the Red Sox at Tampa Bay. Never mind the undefeated Patriots. Never mind Mr. Z's no-hitter for the Cubbies, or Greg Biffle's Loudon surprise.

To the good folks of Camrose, Alberta, only one thing matters - it's hockey season.

From their viewpoint, everything else in the sports world comes in a distant second to the fact that the Edmonton Oilers are playing in a four-day round-robin with the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames at Camrose's Encana Arena.

They call it "The Oil Country Rookie Tournament," but that's a bit of a stretch. Of the 40 on Edmonton's "rookie" roster, 13 saw significant playing time with the Springfield Falcons in the 2007-08 American Hockey League season. That was Springfield's first as an Edmonton affiliate.

The "veteran rookies" include Devan Dubnyk, who figures to be Springfield's No. 1 goaltender; Theo Peckham, who should be the leader of Springfield's backline brigade; and Colin McDonald, Ryan O'Marra and Stephane Goulet, forwards who should benefit from their AHL playing time last season.

Among the bonafide rookies in the tournament, two draw special attention - Taylor Chorney, a defenseman out of the University of North Dakota, and Jordan Eberle, an 18-year-old center drafted No. 1 by Edmonton last June.

Rob Schremp, Springfield's most dynamic offensive player last season, isn't on the roster, which indicates that he will be given every chance in Edmonton's NHL camp, which opens Friday.

As fired up as the Camrose populace might be for hockey, their enthusiasm can't quite compare to that of Jeff Truitt, new coach of the Falcons. Truitt and his assistants, David Bell and Gerry Fleming, are running the rookie camp.

"Yeah, it's full-blown hockey season here, and it's exciting. The players have been outstanding with their tempo and work ethic. Now it's up to us to evaluate them. Where will these players go from here? No idea on that just yet," Truitt said from his Camrose quarters.

Speaking of work ethic, nobody does it better than Truitt, who has coached at several levels. Last season, he served as a valued assistant to Kelly Buchberger, the man he succeeds at the Falcons' helm.

"Coaching is coaching, wherever you are. It's always a challenge, and I'm excited about doing it as an AHL head coach," Truitt said.

Meanwhile, back at headquarters, the Falcons have reached 630 in their drive for 700 new season-ticket packages by the time they play their home opener (Oct. 18, against Portland).

Truitt and friends will return to their Nest at the MassMutual Center for a final training camp Sept. 24. By Oct. 1, the season-opening roster will be set.

So we're not far behind what's happening in Camrose. In eight days, it will be hockey season in Springfield. Let's hope there will be many more.